A Very...Pregnant New Year's

“Mother,” Brad said mildly, “I’m really not interested in anything that is remotely connected to the Parkers, so why don’t we just change the subject.”

Darlene sniffed. “Well, you should be. It was the Parkers who put your father into an early grave.”

He felt the familiar stab of pain at the mention of his dad, and he made an effort to keep his tone even, “Dad died because his heart couldn’t handle the stress of running the resort. You know that as well as I do.”

“He died,” Darlene said deliberately, “because he killed himself trying to hold on to that stupid piece of property rather than allow it to be sold back to the Parkers. He’d turn over in his grave if he knew it was shut down.”

“The Coldwater Spa was operating at a loss for the last few years. It was just a matter of time before he closed it down.”

“The right person could have made it profitable again.”

He knew what she was getting at, and he knew where that topic would lead. He’d fought with his father often enough over his decision to go to law school instead of taking over the management of the resort. He wasn’t about to fight with his mother over it, too.

“Well, it’s closed down now,” he said cheerfully, “so let’s just stop worrying about it and enjoy this weekend.”

He might have known she wouldn’t let it go that easily.

“If your father hadn’t stipulated in his will that the land had to stay in the family,” Darlene said, as they crossed the lobby together, “we could have asked a good price for Coldwater and been rid of it. If it hadn’t been for the Parkers and that ridiculous feud, we wouldn’t be stuck with it.”

“You can’t blame everything on the Parkers.” Brad paused at the entrance to the dining room. “We’ll enjoy the weekend a lot more if you just forget about the feud and the Parkers. Pretend they’re not here.”

Darlene sniffed. “That’s going to be a little difficult considering the entire mob is here. I don’t know how you can be so calm about it. After all, if it hadn’t been for that family, you would probably have had a better relationship with your father.”

Brad winced. It was a low blow, and there was just no answer to that. Wishing he were anywhere else but at Mountview Ski Lodge that weekend, he escorted his mother into the dining room.

A few yards away, Anne sat at a long table at the far end of the room, next to one of the tall windows overlooking the slopes. She’d always loved the rustic atmosphere of the lodge, with its wide, natural beams and cathedral ceilings. Logs crackled and spat in the huge stone fireplace just feet away, and she could feel the heat from the hungry flames as she looked around the table at her family.

It was so good to be with them all again, though she missed her grandma Nellie. She smiled at Grandpa James, who sat next to her. She couldn’t resist giving him a hug. “How are you doing, Grandpa?”

His pale gray eyes peered at her over the top of his glasses. “I’d feel a damn sight better if it was colder.”

She was immediately concerned. “Are you too hot? Would you like to move? I’m sure they’ll be happy to set up another table further away from the fire.”

He shook his head. “I’m fine. It’s the snow I’m worried about.” He nodded at the window. “Looks a little mushy to me.”

Paul, who was sitting on the other side of him, gave him a nudge with his elbow. “You planning on skiing with us, Gramps?”

Grandpa James shook his head. “Got too much respect for my old bones.” He gave Paul a stern look. “Stay off that mountain, sonny, if you value your skin.” He glanced around the table. “That goes for all of you. Not safe out there. Temperature’s rising. Take my word for it.”

Paul laughed. At twenty-four he was a carbon copy of their father, except his dark blond hair showed no signs of the thinning that plagued Dan Parker. Paul had inherited his father’s broad shoulders and chunky build, and was supremely confident of his immortality. “You worry too much, Gramps. We’re all fantastic skiers. After all, we’ve been doing it since we were old enough to walk.”

Grandpa scowled at him. “Don’t mess with Mother Nature, boy. You’ll find out she has a mean hand.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Father, stop treating them all as if they were still toddlers.” Carol Parker, an attractive woman from whom Anne had inherited her thick hair and green eyes, gazed fondly at her four children. “Though sometimes I have to admit, it’s hard for me to realize you are all so grown-up. Especially now that we’re all together again.” She reached out and lightly pressed Anne’s hand. “I’m so glad you’re coming back to Grand Springs, darling. We’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you all, too.” Anne sipped at her iced tea before adding casually, “I bumped into the Irvings in the foyer.”

Her father groaned. “Oh, no, don’t tell me that awful woman is here. You didn’t speak to her, did you? She gives the place a bad name. I suppose she’s got that scheming son of hers with her? She never goes anywhere without him now that Wally’s gone.”

“Now, Dan, let’s not let those dreadful people spoil our weekend.” Carol looked hopefully at Anne for support. “The best thing to do is completely ignore them. Pretend we don’t see them.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Secretly Anne thought that might be impossible, considering the lodge wasn’t that big.

“Well, I’m glad Brad Irving’s here,” Sharon said, smirking at Elise. “I think he’s positively awesome looking.”

“The sexiest man in town, that’s for sure.” Elise flicked her long blond hair over her shoulder with a careless hand. “I wouldn’t mind spending a night with him, I can tell you.”

“That’s enough, girls,” Carol warned mildly. “You know how talk like that irritates your father.”

“The man’s a damn crook,” Dan muttered. “How can you two talk like that about a man whose family stole your heritage? If it wasn’t for the Irvings, we’d still own that damn land, and I wouldn’t have to face bankruptcy to keep you two in college.”

Sharon’s face burned as she reached for her water glass. Elise lifted her chin, and Anne knew her youngest sister was going to argue. She should have kept her mouth shut about seeing Brad and his mother, she thought, cursing herself for starting a familiar argument.

“Well, it’s not worth much now,” Elise said, with a hint of defiance. “Now that they’ve closed down the spa it’s just empty buildings sitting there doing nothing.”

“It’s still good land.” Dan set his fork down on his plate with a clatter. “I’m damn sure I could find something to do with it. Trust that thieving lawyer to let it go to waste. Too damn busy cheating people out of their hard-earned money, that’s his problem.”

“Now, dear, let’s just forget about it, shall we?” Carol looked pleadingly at her husband. “I really would like to enjoy this weekend with my wonderful family, and for once forget the existence of the Irvings.”

“That’s not going to be easy,” Sharon said, echoing Anne’s thoughts. “Brad will be on the midnight ski run. There’s only fifteen of us signed up, so we’re bound to bump into him.”

“Cool,” Elise murmured softly, earning a frown from her father.

“We signed you up for it, Anne,” Sharon said eagerly. “Paul’s going, too. It should be fun. I love skiing at night.”

So did Anne, but the thought of racing down a dark mountain next to Brad Irving took the joy out of it. She smiled at her sisters. “I think I’ll pass. It’s been a while since I was on skis.”

“I think you should all pass it up,” Grandpa James muttered. “You’re all crazy if you go down that mountain.”

“You’ve got to go, Anne!” Elise cried in dismay. “It won’t be the same without you. There’s going to be a welcome-back party for the skiers and everything.”

“Not afraid of Brad Irving, are you?” Sharon asked slyly.

Anne felt her cheeks grow warm. “Of course not,” she said sharply. “If you really want me to go that badly, I’ll go.”

Grandpa James shook his head. “Crazy,” he muttered. “Every last one of them.”

“We’re bound to see Brad at the New Year’s Eve party, anyway,” Paul said, eyeing the huge tray of desserts placed on the table by an attractive waitress. “So we might as well meet the enemy on the slopes and beat the heck out of him.”

Carol looked alarmed. “You’re not going to fight that man, are you Paul? I despise the Irvings as much as anyone, but I wouldn’t want to see you fight.”

Paul grinned. “Relax, Mom. I just meant we’d all beat him down the mountain, that’s all.”

“That’s if you get down,” Grandpa muttered darkly.

Aware that no one was listening to him, as usual, Anne patted his arm. “Don’t worry, Grandpa,” she said softly. “I’ll keep an eye on them all.”

“Tell us about your plans for the new year, Anne dear.” Carol picked up a dish of cheesecake and offered it to her eldest daughter. “I’m dying to know what you intend to do next.”

“I thought I’d find an office to rent downtown,” Anne said, doing her best not to notice Brad and his mother seated at the opposite end of the room. Elise and Sharon might think that Bradley Irving was the sexiest man in town, she told herself, but personally, she couldn’t see it.

Trust Darlene Irving to mention her aborted wedding. The thought of Jason didn’t enter her mind anymore until someone mentioned him. Actually, compared to the suave, confident man across the room, Jason was a wimp.

The thought surprised her. She hastily reminded herself that, wimp or not, Brad Irving was just as much a womanizer as Jason, and infinitely more irritating. Then she deliberately put them both out of her mind for the rest of the meal.

By late afternoon the following day, the clouds that had been gathering all afternoon had gradually thickened to a thick gray mass above the slopes. By the time Anne and her siblings joined the midnight skiers at the chairlifts, the wind danced through the branches of the pines and tossed mounds of snow to the ground below. A fine mist hung over the lodge, obliterating the night sky.

Grandpa James had already retired for the night, but Dan and Carol had settled themselves by the fire to await the return of their family.

Elise and Sharon chattered endlessly as they waited for their turn on the lifts. Standing behind them, Anne listened to Paul’s account of his work as a computer analyst without really understanding what he was talking about. Her attention was on a tall, blond man at the rear of the line, deep in conversation with a redhead who laughed at everything he said. Anne wondered if they were at the lodge together, then told herself it was none of her business. Though she did wonder how romantic a rendezvous could be if Brad had brought his mother along.

Some of the guests had braved the cool night wind to cheer on the skiers, and would remain on the terrace to watch the descent. The team’s headlamps would provide a pleasing display of bobbing lights as they swooped down the mountain.

Anne clasped her ski poles as she stepped onto the line next to Paul and waited for the chair to swing in behind them. Tiny flakes of snow drifted down in the flare of the lights and danced now and again in a flurry of wind.

The faint smell of pine perfumed the clean night air, and Anne felt a stirring of anticipation as the edge of the chair closed in behind her knees. She settled herself on the seat, prepared to enjoy the ride to the top of the run. This was the part she loved—the moments before she launched herself into the wild, exhilarating journey down the still, silent world of the slopes.

She had never lost her thrill of the run—that rush of heady excitement as her skis swished through the smooth, white snow and the cold wind whipped her face. For a few brief minutes she could leave behind all the worries and stress of her workday world, and transcend to a calmer, more peaceful place where all that mattered was the frosty ground slipping away beneath her feet as she sped on wings to the earth below.

“The snow’s coming down pretty good,” Paul remarked, as they reached the end of their ride and slid gracefully from their chair. “If those clouds get any lower they won’t see our lights from the lodge.”

Anne glanced up at the black sky above her. “We should be down before the worst of the storm comes in.”

“I see our hotshot lawyer has found himself another candidate for heartbreak,” Paul muttered.

She followed his gaze to where Brad was helping the redhead out of the chair. The woman fell against him and he caught her, wrapping his arms around her to steady her. Anne watched her laugh up at him, clinging to him as if she were helpless to stand by herself. Heaven knew what the silly woman would do once she got on the slopes, Anne thought.

She tried to ignore the two of them as she took her place at the top of the run. Paul and his sisters lined up on her left, and she was relieved to see Brad and his giggling girlfriend at the opposite end of the line.

Their leader stood in the middle of the group, ready to lead off on his own. After a count of five, the person on each side of him would follow, then the person on each side of them, until all fifteen skiers were descending in a giant V formation.

Anne forgot about Brad as she poised on her mark, waiting for her turn. With a shout that echoed across the still mountain, the lead took off, disappearing into the eerie half darkness. Within seconds the beam of his flashlight sliced through the falling snow, which was the signal for the next two to go, then the next.

Anne waited for the flash of light to signal her turn, then launched herself forward. Her spirits soared as her skis cut through the snow, and she crouched to gain speed. Ahead of her the bobbing lights of the skiers guided her down a trail that was hard to see against the blowing snow. Thick flakes slanted across the wide beam of her headlamp, bringing her visibility down to a few feet ahead of her.

A quick glance back assured her that Paul and her sisters were close behind her, though it was impossible to distinguish their faces in the dark. She faced forward again, and as she did so, a loud crack echoed across the mountainside, followed by an ominous rumbling.

At first she thought it was thunder, but when the sound grew louder instead of fading away, she flicked a glance over her shoulder. Faintly she heard Paul’s shout above the ever increasing roar, but she couldn’t understand what he said. The next time she looked back he waved his arm frantically up and down. Her apprehension leapt to alarm when she saw her two sisters veer off sharply to their left.

Then the significance of the thundering roar hit her, and her heart seemed to freeze in fear. Just a few yards behind Paul, barely distinguishable in the dim light, a wall of snow loomed above him, bearing down on him fast.

Avalanche. The thing every mountain skier and climber dreaded. The tumbling, suffocating mass of snow and debris was hurtling down on the skiers, with the lodge itself directly in its path.

Instinctively, Anne dug in her poles and leaned to her left, beginning the curve that would take her out of the path of the deadly flow. One frantic glance back assured her that her sisters had reached the trees and were clear of the onslaught. Seconds later she saw Paul plunge after them, barely escaping the edge of the swirling, heaving mass of destruction.

The furious white wave was almost on her now, like a giant breaker in the rolling surf. The noise was deafening. Twenty yards. She dug her poles frantically into the soft snow, desperate for more speed.

Almost there. She could see the edge of the trees, then suddenly lost sight of them as a cloud of wet snow enveloped her. The freezing air closed around her, choking her, blinding her. She fought to keep her balance as she felt the ground shift beneath her. Then something hit her hard in the shoulder.

She went flying, rolling and tumbling at a terrifying speed inside the cold, wet suffocating blanket of snow. Just when she thought she would never draw breath again, the ground abruptly gave way beneath her.

Barely conscious now, she realized she was falling. Her last thought was to wonder how long it would take for her grieving family to find her body at the bottom of a ravine. Then the darkness wiped out the world.

Chapter 2

At the first faint rumble of thunder, the spectators on the terrace looked expectantly up toward the mountain peaks. They could see nothing through the driving snow. Not even the skiers’ lights. Some of them grumbled that it wasn’t worth waiting outside in the cold.

Only a handful stayed behind to witness the awesome sight of what seemed to be half the mountain bearing down on the lodge. Screaming warnings, the guests scattered and raced for shelter. Seconds later the terrace was torn from its supports, and the formidable roar of the avalanche swallowed up the splintering sound of shattered windows.

In his room on the second floor, Dr. Tony Petrocelli paused in the act of removing his shirt and tilted his dark head to one side. The noise he heard sounded like a freight train coming out of a tunnel. He frowned at his wife, who sat on the edge of the bed, staring up at him with anxious blue eyes.

“What is it?” Beth asked, her voice a mere whisper.

Tony shrugged. “Beats me. Probably some kind of celebration—” He broke off, his words cut off by the sound of splintering wood and groaning timbers.

Beth’s eyes grew round. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” Tony said grimly. “But I think we’d better find out.” He grabbed his wife’s jacket off the back of the chair and threw it to her. “I have a feeling you’re going to need this.”

On her feet in an instant, Beth shrugged her arms into the parka. “Thank God we left Christopher with your family,” she muttered as she followed her husband out the door.

Downstairs by the fireplace, Carol Parker thought she was imagining things as she stared at the snow piling up through the jagged remains of the windows. She turned to Dan, who looked as horrified as she felt. “The kids,” she said urgently. “What happened to our kids?”

Dan wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine.”

She heard the forced assurance in his voice and her blood chilled. “Dan, they were on the mountain. They were all on the mountain.” Her voice rose as she struggled to free herself from his hold. “Dear God, Dan, where are they?”

Everything seemed to be a blur after that. She heard Dan’s voice, trying to calm her, but she was incapable of thinking clearly. People seemed to be everywhere, some rushing about, some sitting, some lying still on the floor. She saw Darlene Irving, crying and screaming, while a woman with auburn hair tried to comfort her. Recognizing Beth Petrocelli, Carol felt a moment’s relief that her husband would be somewhere around as well. Tony Petrocelli was a good doctor, and it looked as if some of those people would need his help.

She thought about the girls and Paul, lying injured out there somewhere, helpless and alone. The agonized groan she heard was her own.

Dan’s hands tightened on her shoulders and he gave her a little shake. “Snap out of it, Carol. I have to go outside and help dig out the people buried under the debris. I need you to stay with Dad. He’s insisting on helping and I don’t want him out there. Get it together, Carol. I need you.”

Her mind cleared, and she stared at him, her feeling of dread threatening to overwhelm her. “We have to find them, Dan,” she whispered.

His blue eyes stared back at her, and she found strength in the resolution she saw in them. “Doc Petrocelli is organizing a search party. As soon as it’s light I’ll go with them, and I won’t come back without the kids. Will you be okay here now?”

She nodded and managed a stiff smile. “Just be careful out there. That snow is treacherous.”

“Try not to worry. Just help out here where you can.”

It was easier to be busy, she realized, as she herded Grandpa into the dining room where several people sat propped against the wall. The opposite wall had caved in with the weight of the snow, but the roof was still intact. Obviously the worst of the avalanche had missed the lodge.

Obeying Beth Petrocelli’s instructions, she helped clean grazes and cuts and apply bandages. Grandpa, having accepted the fact that he would be more hindrance than help, was doing his best to cheer up the wounded with his ancient jokes.

According to the comments Carol overheard, half the lodge was buried beneath the weight of the snow, and the avalanche had completely cut off the road to town. Dr. Petrocelli would have his hands full until help arrived.

When Paul suddenly popped up in front of Carol, she let out a shriek of joy. When she saw Sharon and Elise behind him, she burst into tears. Swept up in her relief, it was a moment or two before she realized that her eldest daughter was not with them.

Struggling to keep the panic at bay, she clung to Paul’s arm. “Anne,” she said urgently. “Where is she?”

She knew at once by the agony on Paul’s face that she didn’t want to hear what he had to tell her.

“She was right on the edge of it, Mom,” he said, his voice shaky. “I’m sure she’ll be okay. Dad and I will be joining the search party as soon as it’s light. We’ll find her. I know we will.”

Her fingers tightened as she heard her daughters begin to cry. She had to be strong. For their sakes, she had to be strong. Paul was right. He and Dan would find her baby. They just had to find her.

Hold on, my precious daughter, she urged silently. Just please, hold on.

It was cold. So incredibly cold, and something wet and heavy pressed down on her head. The wall supporting her back felt like a jagged block of ice. Her right leg was jammed up against something hard that barely shifted when she tried to move it.

Darkness enveloped her like a thick black blanket. She couldn’t see anything at all. For a moment she panicked, wondering if she was blind. She shook her head, trying to clear her fogged mind. Pain sliced across her eyes and she moaned.

Her wool hat, headlamp and goggles were gone, and whatever was sitting on top of her head slid down with a plop onto her lap. Some of it seeped into her collar, freezing her neck.

Snow. Now she remembered.

Cautiously she tilted her head back. Above her she could see a patch of light gray. Nothing else. But at least she could see. Feeling a little better, she moved her hand and felt the cold, hard ground beneath her. She stretched her arm to explore a little farther, and her nerves received a nasty jolt when her fingers encountered thin air. Patting the ground on either side of her, she faced the truth. She was on a ledge. A very narrow ledge.

The pungent smell of pine told her that the thing pressing against her right leg was a broken tree. She clung to it for a moment, aware that it had probably saved her life. So far, anyway.

Her spirits plummeted as the reality of her predicament dawned on her. She had fallen into a ravine. By a miracle she’d landed on a ledge. She was alive, and except for a bad headache and an excruciating pain in her right ankle, she apparently had no serious injuries. That was the good news.

The bad news was that it would be next to impossible to climb out of there. Even if she could find a slight foothold in the sheer face of the wall behind her, her experimental wiggling of her right foot told her she’d either broken or sprained her ankle. The ledge was so narrow she was frightened to move. One slip and she could plummet anywhere from a few yards to several hundred feet, depending on the depth of the ravine. That was something she wouldn’t know until it was light enough to see. If she lived that long in this bitter cold.

For several minutes depression and panic overwhelmed her. She began yelling with all the breath she could muster, even though she had little hope of anyone hearing her. She yelled until she was exhausted, and finally her breath died on a sob. It was no good. She was going to die there, alone on the mountain.